Houston Cougars: By the Numbers

The Houston Cougars hope to shake off an underwhelming Week 1 performance against the No. 15-ranked Sooners on Saturday night.

Nov 18, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith (1) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Oklahoma rolled in its season debut, but there’s still plenty of work to do before OU is ready to enter SEC play. 

The No. 15-ranked Sooners rolled Temple 51-3 last Friday, and now prepare to welcome the Houston Cougars to Owen Field. 

Most of the questions surrounding the 2024 Sooners still are focused on the offense, where health will loom large in the background of OU’s pregame warmups. 

The depth along the offensive line and with Emmett Jones’ wide receivers is already getting tested, and Oklahoma will continue to work through different combinations against the Cougars. 

Willie Fritz’s head coaching debut for Houston was lackluster a week ago, as his team fell to UNLV 27-7 at home. 

Here’s a look at the numbers that will shape Houston’s return to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

4.1

Houston head coach Willie Fritz's debut for the Cougars was ruined in large part due to a poor defensive display against the UNLV Rebels. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Last week, Oklahoma’s offensive line underwhelmed. 

The running game struggled to get into rhythm against an overmatched Temple defensive front, though a couple of long runs in the second half from Sam Franklin and Taylor Tatum made the averages look better in the end. 

The Cougars’ front seven is more talented than what the Owls rolled out last week, though that’s an incredibly low bar to clear. 

UNLV averaged 4.1 yards per carry in last week’s win and four different ball carriers averaged more than four yards per rush. 

Brennan Marion’s “Go-Go Offense” does attack teams a bit differently on the ground than how OU offensive coordinator Seth Littrell operates, but the Sooners should have ample opportunity to make improvements in the running game. 

Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes combined to carry the ball just 11 times last week for Oklahoma, a number that should go up against Houston as the Sooners ramp up into the season. 

Failure by OU’s offensive line to open up more space for whoever gets the carries on Saturday could be a bad omen for the rest of the season, especially if offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh is able to employ more healthy lineman in Week 2.

38

Houston running back Parker Jenkins led the Cougars with 17 rushing yards against UNLV. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Cougars didn’t have much success on either side of the line of scrimmage against the Rebels. 

While the defensive front struggled, Houston’s offensive line was consistently knocked into the backfield. 

Houston rushed for just 38 yards a week ago, and quarterback Donovan Smith was sacked six times. 

The unit averaged 1.5 yards per carry, and the offense routinely had to work out of third-and-long situations. 

As a result, Smith completed just 15-of-30 passes for 135 yards, two interceptions and no scores. 

Houston converted just 2-of-15 third downs, and the average distance to the sticks on third downs for the Cougars was 9.7 yards. 

If Oklahoma is able to back the Houston offense into obvious passing situations like UNLV, Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Zac Alley will be able to turn loose a Sooner pass rush that totaled six sacks of their own against Temple.

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Houston quarterback Donovan Smith will bring plenty of experience to the table as he prepares to start against Oklahoma on Saturday. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Temple quarterback Forrest Brock was unable to test OU’s secondary at all in Week 1. 

Though Smith had virtually no success last week, the former Texas Tech quarterback does have plenty of experience playing talented defenses. 

He’s seen action in 29 games against Power Five (now Power Four) opposition throughout his career, though he has been used as a change of pace quarterback in many of those contests. 

Smith did finish 17-for-22 through the air against OU in 2021, when he passed for 192 yards, one score and one interception in a 52-21 defeat. 

If Houston is able to roll the pocket to give Smith enough time to scan downfield, he will be able to hurt Oklahoma’s secondary in small bursts if the coverage on the backend is lacking. 

Smith finished third in completion percentage (64.5 percent) in the Big 12 last year, and his 22 passing touchdowns was fourth in the league. He also added 428 yards and six more scores on the ground a year ago, meaning OU’s defensive ends will have to be mindful of their rushing lanes to contain the Cougar quarterback.